6 Tips To Reduce Medical Equipment Services And Maintenance Cost

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Tips To Reduce Medical Equipment Services And Maintenance Cost (1)

Maintaining and servicing medical equipment is challenging and plays a vital role in everyday use in a hospital. Reducing hospital equipment service and maintenance costs is essential for any hospital.

Medical Equipment Services And Maintenance Cost

For example, the Fowler bed price is relatively high and requires proper maintenance and service to make the best use. When hospitals are more conscious regarding the maintenance and services of their equipment, it leads to more profit.

Mentioned below are the seven ways hospitals can reduce equipment service and maintenance costs.

1. Keep an inventory of the medical equipment:

Although it may seem like a lot of work, keeping an inventory of all the equipment and their maintenance can help you track down any problems in your equipment. Keeping a record will help you keep a close eye on which equipment is being used, the frequency of use, how often it is breaking down, the most frequently used pieces of equipment, and what materials are needed to maintain them. This information can help you decide whether repairing or replacing parts makes more sense financially.

It will also allow you to create a budget for maintenance costs and an estimate for one-time expenses such as replacements or upgrades.

2. Purchase high-quality equipment

Focus on buying only high-quality equipment, which will increase its longevity. Longer-lasting equipment means less money spent on repairs and maintenance. That also translates to less downtime because the equipment is out for service or waiting for parts to arrive.

High-quality medical equipment needs very little in the way of regular maintenance and requires less frequent repair. It also requires less cleaning, which may involve hazardous chemicals that can be costly to dispose of safely. Less frequent calibration and testing are often required, saving money on labor and staff time.

3. Multi-system service agreement:

Keeping your medical equipment serviced and maintained is important for both staff efficiency and the safety of your patients. One way to save yourself time and money while ensuring that your healthcare organization maintains high service levels is to consider a multi-system service agreement. A multi-system service agreement allows you to schedule multiple systems simultaneously, meaning you can use one service call instead of multiple, saving valuable time and money.

To learn more about these agreements and how they can help reduce downtime at your health organization, keep reading.

4. Long-term service agreement:

If your medical device is over one year old, you would typically be eligible to enter into a long-term service agreement (LTSA). These are contracts typically signed for three years or longer. They generally require an upfront payment and recurring payments in monthly installments. The amount of the monthly installment is often 10-12% of the purchase price of your machine on an annual basis. Before entering into any LTSA, make sure that it is transferable to a third party if you need to sell your machine in the future – especially if you’re signing up for a longer-term agreement. In addition, confirm that there are no cancelation fees should your financial situation change and you no longer want to make payments (although most companies will allow you to transfer your contract onto another machine).

5. Advance payment:

Advance payment:

Payment in advance may help you to get a discounted price. However, before making an advance payment, ensure the service provider has a good reputation, offers the same quality of service and equipment as your current vendor, has no history of customer complaints, and is licensed.

6. Maintain records of the equipment

Maintaining records of all the equipment present in your facility is very important. You need to maintain a detailed equipment database, including its serial numbers, location, and service history. This will help you keep track of the maintenance and repair history of all your medical equipment to manage it efficiently and schedule preventive maintenance accordingly. This will also help you to reduce your medical equipment maintenance cost by avoiding unscheduled repairs or replacements due to a lack of record-keeping.

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